National Technology Day 2019: Will leverage technology for development, says PM Modi

On the occasion of National Technology Day 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday greeted the nation and remembered the achievements of the scientific community. President Kovind said India is committed to using technology to accelerate development and ensure every citizen has a dignified existence.

PM Modi said the hard work of the country’s scientists has always ensured a stronger and safer India. “May we continue leveraging the power of technology for national progress,” he said.

National Technology Day is celebrated annually on May 11, the day on which India successfully test fired its first nuclear bombs in 1998. During the nuclear tests in Rajasthan’s Pokhran, five explosives of the same nature were tested between May 11 and May 13, 1998.

The tests were conducted by the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who had led the scientific team that made preparations for the tests. After Pokhran, Vajpayee had declared India a nuclear state — the sixth country in the world to join this league.

On National Technology Day Saturday, PM Modi also said, “The patriotism and farsightedness of Atal Ji and his team have a major role to play in the success of tests of 1998. Atal Ji’s unwavering faith in our scientists proved valuable during that crucial time. It also demonstrated the difference a strong political leadership makes.”